# US 11,443,081 B2 · Part procurement system and part procurement method

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,443,081 B2
- Document ID: US11443081B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/491,007
- Filed: 2018-09-18
- Published: 2020-01-09
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2017-09-29
- Assignees: Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Mika Saruyama; Ayato Iwasaki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11443081B2

## CPC

- G06F 30/17: Mechanical parametric or variational design
- G05B 19/418: Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
- G06Q 10/0635: Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
- G06Q 10/08: Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
- G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
- G06Q 10/20: Administration of product repair or maintenance
- G06Q 50/10: Services
- G06F 30/00: Computer-aided design [CAD]
- G06F 2111/20: Configuration CAD, e.g. designing by assembling or positioning modules selected from libraries of predesigned modules
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

In a part procurement system including a control device performing procurement of a part required by a customer, to the control device, customer's requirements information about the procured part inputted via a data input device, and at least BOM information that is part table information, CAD information that is computer-aided design information and part compatibility information, which are stored in a file server, are inputted; and the control device extracts candidate parts including candidates for the part required by the customer and alternatives for the part, based on the BOM information, the CAD information and the part compatibility information that have been inputted, and outputs a signal for displaying the extracted candidate parts on a display device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A part procurement system for a construction machine comprising a file server, a terminal having a display device, a data input device and a control device and a communication device for communicating between the file server and the terminal, and performing procurement of a part required by a customer, wherein
the file server stores BOM information that is part table information, CAD information that is computer-aided design information, part compatibility information, stock information and information about costs,
the control device of the terminal includes:
a table creating portion which creates a usable candidate table that lists candidates for preparing a required part from a procured part compatibility table for single item including a part compatible with a procured part when a required part is a single-item part, a procured part compatibility table for assembly including an assembly part compatible with the procured part when a required part is an assembly part, and a procured part compatibility table for disassembly including an alternative part that can be used in place of the procured part when there is an upper part or an upper product containing the procured part, based on customer's requirements information about the procured part inputted via a data input device, and the BOM information, the CAD information and the part compatibility information inputted from the file server;
an information adding portion which adds stock information, cost, lead time and additional work information about processing required to a part with mounting compatibility and a part that can be used as the alternative part to a part listed in the usable candidate table created by the control device;
a judging portion which extracts candidate parts including candidates for the part and alternatives for the part satisfying the requirements with the required information regarding the procured part inputted via the data input device as the requirements from the usable candidate table to which the information is added by the information adding portion; and
an outputting portion which outputs a signal for displaying the extracted candidate parts on a display device as a final candidate table based on the usable candidate table to which the information is added.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The part procurement system according to claim 1, wherein the control device extracts or re-arranges the candidate parts based on past order record information about parts similar to the part required by the customer or past order record information about parts ordered by the customer in the past, which are stored in the file server.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The part procurement system according to claim 2, wherein the control device extracts a past trend list based on the past order record information about the parts similar to the part required by the customer or the past order record information about the parts ordered by the customer in the past, which are stored in the file server, and decides priority order of the candidate parts based on priority in the past trend list.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The part procurement system according to claim 3, wherein the control device performs plotting from the past trend list on a graph formed based on a desired priority to decide the priority.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The part procurement system according to claim 4, wherein the priority is selected from among a required price, a required delivery deadline and a quality for the procured part.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The part procurement system according to claim 1, wherein the control device creates a procured part compatibility table according to a classification of the procured part and creates the usable candidate table based on the procured part compatibility table.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The part procurement system according to claim 1, wherein the requirements information includes a part number, a quantity, a delivery deadline, a required price and a quality for the procured part.

### Claim 8

A part procurement method for procuring a part required by a customer, having a file server storing BOM information that is part table information, CAD information that is computer-aided design information, part compatibility information, stock information and information about costs, a terminal having a display device, a data input device and a control device, and a communication device for communicating between the file server and the terminal,
the control device of the terminal comprising:
a table creating step of creating a usable candidate table that lists candidates for preparing a required part from a procured part compatibility table for single item including a part compatible with a procured part when a required part is a single-item part, a procured part compatibility table for assembly including an assembly part compatible with the procured part when a required part is an assembly part, and a procured part compatibility table for disassembly including an alternative part that can be used in place of the procured part when there is an upper part or an upper product containing the procured part, based on customer's requirements information about the procured part inputted via a data input device, and the BOM information, the CAD information and the part compatibility information inputted from the file server,
an information adding step of adding stock information, cost, lead time and additional work information about processing required to a part with mounting compatibility and a part that can be used as the alternative part to a part listed in the usable candidate table created by the control device,
a judging step of extracting candidate parts including candidates for the part and alternatives for the part satisfying the requirements with the required information regarding the procured part inputted via the data input device as the requirements from the usable candidate table to which the information is added by the information adding step, and
an outputting step of outputting a signal for displaying the extracted candidate parts on a display device as a final candidate table based on the usable candidate table to which the information is added.